What permits do I need and how long does it take (coast/ADIF/Roads/Confederation)?

Q: What permits do I need and how long does it take (coast/ADIF/Roads/Confederation)?

For a trenchless crossing or outfall in Spain, the following are usually required: authorization from the Coastal Authority for occupation of the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain when the beach or coastline is affected; authorization from ADIF in the railway domain and areas affected; authorization from Highways (state, autonomous or provincial) for occupation/affection of the road; and authorization from the Hydrographic Confederation for works in the Hydraulic Public Domain or its police zone. Approximate deadlines: Costas can resolve in up to 4 months depending on the procedure, while ADIF, Carreteras and Confederación depend on reports and complexity of the file. They speed up the processing: report and plans (plan/elevation, DN/L/Rmin and coverages), geotechnics and, if applicable, bathymetry/methocean; description of the trenchless method (front pressure, settlement control); traffic/railway plans; environmental measures and auscultation plan. It is advisable to start first with the owners of the affected infrastructure (ADIF/Roads), and process in parallel Costas and Confederación when applicable.

For a trenchless crossing/emissary in Spain, the following are usually involved Costs, ADIF, Roads y Hydrographic Confederation. With a complete and well-coordinated dossier, the deadlines are significantly shortened. If you need it, our team of Technical assistance and engineering can prepare the dossiers and the processing schedule.

Typical leave and indicative times

Coast (DPMT - Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain).
When the beach or coastline is affected (outfalls, catchments). It is processed in the Demarcation of Coasts. The official deadline of resolution is usually up to 4 months according to procedure; in practice it depends on reports and corrections. For coastal projects, please also check our guidelines for Subsea outfalls.
Railway (ADIF).
Authorization by public domain and zones of affection (crossings, parallelisms). Variable deadlines according to complexity and need of work window; it is convenient to carry a layout alternative. If the crossing is by microtunnel o Direct Pipe, you can see our pages of Pipe jacking y Direct Pipe for the technical criteria they usually require.
Roads (MITMA / Autonomous Communities / Provincial Councils).
Authorization by occupation/affection of the road (domain, easement, building). The deadline depends on the owner (State, Autonomous Community or Provincial Council) and the traffic diversions foreseen. For crossings under the road, we also work HDD when appropriate for curvature and length.
State framework and applications: https://servicios.mitma.es/Carreteras/
Hydrographic Confederation (DPH and police zone).
Authorization by works in watercourses or its police zone (slopes, banks, wadis). Requires hydrological-hydraulic study and, often, turbidity control if there is wet work. The time frame varies by basin and number of sectoral reports.

Practical advice: starts first with owners of the affected infrastructure (ADIF/Roads) to close conditions; it processes Confederation y Costs in parallel if applicable. Maintain a single technical package consistent (ground plan/elevation, geotechnical, trenchless method and environmental measures) to avoid remediation.

Checklist to speed up processing

Memorandum and drawings (plan, elevation, profiles), DN/L/Rmin, and easements.
Probes and NF, (y bathymetry/metocean on the coast).
Description of the method (microtunnel / HDD / Direct Pipe): front pressures, land balance and settlement control.
Traffic plan (roads) and railway plan (ADIF).
Environmental measures (turbidity, noise, construction site window) and monitoring plan (seating, piezometry).

Do you want us to prepare your permit map + deadlines with milestones and responsible parties? You can request offer attaching plan/elevation, DN/L, geotechnics and affected ownerships.